Convergence
by Maruno
Summary: A story of how Krillin and 18 get together
1. Revenge

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter One - Revenge  
  
She didn't know what to do. She had no idea.  
  
Android 18 was back at her old home, Dr Gero's laboratory. Now it was nothing but rubble, ever since that man from the future and the short bald one blew it up, along with the still-forming Cell. She resented that. She had had nowhere else to go except her home; she had no friends, and her twin brother had been destroyed when Gohan vaporised Cell. Now she didn't even have her home.  
  
She dropped the twisted metal girder she had been squeezing in an attempt to relieve her anger. It clattered onto the broken concrete of the once- walls. An onlooker would see that she was very angry, from the hand imprints in the metal bar, but there were no onlookers. No one came here. No one even knew that it existed. The humans were too stupid to think about where the Androids had come from, and so hadn't bothered looking for this place.  
  
This place. It was her home. It had been her home. It was the only place she had felt comfortable at, and now it had been destroyed. Destroyed.  
  
She looked up. The concrete dust tickled her lungs. She frowned. She would have revenge. Revenge on those who had annihilated the place she belonged. She cocked her head to the left, retrieving the information on those two. The taller one, the half-Saiyan, he was unknown. Dr Gero hadn't given her any information on him. She considered the fact that he had probably gone back to his proper time, the future, to destroy her brother and her then. She was angry with that for a second, but she realised that she could do nothing about it. The time machine hadn't been invented yet, so she couldn't steal it, and besides, the future that man went back to couldn't have been the future of this dimension. There were too many differences now. 17 was dead, Cell had come, Goku hadn't been killed by that deadly heart disease, the Z warriors were. She stopped. That man was out of reach. There was no way she could get to him.  
  
The other one. She remembered. Krillin. 36 years old, best friend of Goku, when he was alive, at least, lived at.  
  
She smiled.  
  
Lived at Kame House, on a small island, with Master Roshi.  
  
She might not have been able to have revenge on that man from the future, but Krillin was there too, destroying her home, and he could be reached.  
  
She stood up from the stone she was sitting on, checked her location, and blasted off to the West, in the direction that Kame House resided.  
  
She would have revenge. 


	2. Reflection

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter Two - Reflection  
  
Krillin sighed. It had been a whole six hours since he had seen 18 at Kame's Sanctuary. He knew he had feelings for her. He knew that everyone else knew as well, since Gohan had blurted out to them as soon as he had figured it out. They were all disgusted, he remembered, that Krillin had feelings for an enemy, and even though Yamcha had lightened the mood, he still couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe they were right, maybe he shouldn't love her, maybe he should just forget.  
  
Love. Krillin wondered for a second. It was love, wasn't it, and not some childish schoolyard crush on the prettiest girl there? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he got a warm sensation inside him whenever he thought about her. It controlled his Chi, his spirit, and made him do things he probably wouldn't have done if it weren't 18. Like, for example, when the Near Perfect Cell was about to absorb 18. Vegeta was not stopping him, and Trunks wasn't able to help. Only he stood between 18 and her absorption. He remembered how he smashed the remote control designed to deactivate her. If it had been anyone else, Krillin thought, I would have deactivated them. But something about the way in which she looked at him then made him do otherwise, and to fight Cell in a vain attempt to save her. What would have happened, he mused, if I had deactivated her then. 18 wouldn't be alive now, he answered, and wouldn't have a chance to change. She wasn't evil. She had been programmed by Dr Gero to be destructive. It wasn't her fault. Maybe she could be like 16. His only purpose was to destroy Goku. Yet somehow he managed to break his programming and become good.  
  
He sighed again. He knew he didn't stand a chance of being with her. Too much had happened for that to be. He didn't know if she knew how he felt about her. He hoped she didn't, because it could scare her away, and he would never be with her, but he hoped she did, because there might be a chance that she loved him back. But no, that would never happen. No matter how much he wanted it, they wouldn't be together.  
  
"Why is life so unfair?" He said to no one in particular. He got up and went to the kitchen, deciding to make himself a snack. All this excitement of the Cell Games had made him forget about food. Also, his brooding over 18 ever since he got home had had his attention, and made him quite hungry. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out most of its contents.  
  
"Just a small snack," Krillin said, grinning. "At least compared to how much those Saiyans eat."  
  
He sat down at the table with his food and started eating, completely oblivious to the person who had just landed outside on the beach. Unaware that he was about to have one of the biggest shocks of his life come walking through the front door in about three seconds time.  
  
The door slammed.  
  
"Who is it?" Krillin shouted from the kitchen. There was no reply. "Hello?" Still no response. Master Roshi and the others had gone off for a spur-of- the-moment holiday. He had said something about not appreciating something until you lost it, and then flew off. No one else had any reason to visit. Besides, he couldn't sense anyone there. Maybe it was just the wind. He had left the door open, after all. "I suppose I'd better shut it," he said to himself. "I don't want it banging all the way through my meal."  
  
He got up and went through into the living room, where he closed the door.  
  
"There's one problem solved," he said as he turned around. "The only problem now is AAAHH!" 


	3. Encounter

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter Three - Encounter  
  
It was her. 18. She was here, in his house, her face inches away from his. He was so shocked to see her that he stepped backwards, lost his footing and fell down hard on his backside, all the time staring at the beautiful android that had invaded his house.  
  
Krillin tilted his head slightly. Her mouth was moving. She must have shocked him so much that he wasn't paying attention to what his ears were hearing. He tried to listen to what she was saying.  
  
".Well?" She said.  
  
"Uhhh, well, what?" He replied, wishing that he could have at least pretended to be tougher than he actually was.  
  
18 frowned slightly. "I said, aren't you going to try and fight me? After all, I am your enemy."  
  
"Whu, whu, why should I fight you?" Krillin asked nervously.  
  
"Because if you do you might stand a chance of living," 18 said, bringing her hand forward to pick him up. She grabbed his clothes and pulled him to his feet. Then she pulled her fist back and swung it forward fast. She hit Krillin directly on the jaw and sent him flying.  
  
Krillin hit the far wall and left a big indent in it. He collapsed onto the floor in agony. He hadn't been hit that hard since he fought the Near Perfect Cell. He was totally unprepared for it.  
  
18 walked up to him, grabbed him by his collar and threw him out of the window. He landed on the beach, the sand mixing with his blood and getting into his wounds. He groaned and pulled himself up.  
  
"Are you ready to fight now?" 18's voice said, right behind his ear.  
  
Krillin jumped and flew forward twenty feet, turning around as he did so. "18, why do you want to fight me?" He asked. "There's no reason for this."  
  
"Yes, there is," she replied. "You destroyed my home. You blew up the only place I felt I belonged. And now you will die because of it."  
  
"B-but, you destroyed it first, remember? When you killed Dr Gero?"  
  
"I could have still lived there. Some of it was still intact. But now you've destroyed it completely. I have no place left to go. I have no reason to be any more. Not since my brother died."  
  
"But you can make a new life. Start over. Be nice. I know you can do it. I know you have it in you. Look at 16. He changed."  
  
"16 is dead. That's what being nice gets you. Dead."  
  
"We've survived before, against more evil people than you. Like Frieza. Or Cell."  
  
"That was luck. And if you want to survive, you're going to have to kill me."  
  
With that, she darted forwards. Krillin blocked her punch, and put his forearm up to stop a kick. This left him open, and 18 took full advantage of this. She planted a foot square on his chest, sending him flying into the sea. Krillin made a big splash as he entered the warm tropical water. He drifted down to the bottom of the water. He was barely conscious, and had lost all his energy from the kick, and from the sheer surprise of 18 appearing at his house.  
  
On the surface, 18 noticed the non-appearance of Krillin. She sighed, not wanting to get her hair wet, but at the same time not wanting Krillin to drown. No. Not drowning. That would be too easy an ending. She wanted to kill him herself. She flew down into the sea, grabbed Krillin's barely aware body and brought it back to the surface. She laid him out on the beach, and slapped him. Krillin's eyes shot open, and his mouth opened to let out several pints of water he had swallowed. He looked up at 18, standing above him, dominating him. Her hand was pointing at him, palm open at him. A slight smile was on her lips. Her first smile for ages. Krillin tried to scrabble up, but only succeeded in moving his arms slightly. He was too weak to move. He was only just holding on to consciousness as it was. His mouth formed a syllable, and a cough just illustrated what he wanted to say.  
  
" 'What am I going to do now?' " 18 correctly guessed his question. "Why, I'm going to kill you."  
  
With that, she formed a chi blast in her outstretched hand.  
  
"Any last words?" 18 asked.  
  
And fired. 


	4. Change of Heart

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter Four - Change Of Heart  
  
Memories. Be they stored chemicals in the brain or electrical impulses randomly fluctuating throughout the cortex, they can have a tremendous impact on the owner. It could be the difference between life and death, perhaps remembering the disarming code to a bomb, or the solution to some other equally unlikely situation. That's how profound they can be. And 18's memories were very profound indeed.  
  
She remembered how Krillin appeared on that island. Vegeta was fighting Cell, and she was hiding with 16, who was pretty beaten up. Krillin was holding a remote control of sorts, with only a single red button on it. He looked as though he was in conflict with himself over something.  
  
She was there now. She could feel the slight breeze against her hair, hear the far off battle. Krillin had noticed that she has spotted her. He held up the remote control, and said that it was capable of shutting her down.  
  
She thought for a moment. Be shut down or be absorbed by Cell. Well, she reasoned, if I'm shut down, eventually someone will reactivate me. On the other hand, if I'm absorbed by Cell, I'm dead permanently.  
  
"Yes," she said to Krillin. "Shut me down."  
  
But Krillin wasn't doing so. He seemed to be in a personal struggle with himself.  
  
"Why aren't you doing it?" She growled. "Deactivate me now."  
  
Krillin just stood there. Then she watched in astonishment as he dropped the remote and smashed it with his foot. 18 couldn't believe it. Why didn't he destroy her when he had the chance? Was it because she might be able to escape, so that she wouldn't be caught by Cell? But deactivating her would achieve the same result. What was it then? Something else? Krillin's struggle did seem a bit personal. Was it a personal problem? A personal dilemma?  
  
The kiss.  
  
She couldn't even remember why she did it now. Perhaps it was just to tease him. But that little peck on the cheek must have affected him somehow. Maybe it caused him to have personal feelings for her.  
  
Her mind skipped ahead to when she came back to consciousness at Dende's Sanctuary. One of them. Her memory was a little hazy here. One of them had said that Krillin had kept her safe ever since Cell had expelled her. Why did he do that? Was it because of his feelings for her?  
  
Why was she here now? The question came out of nowhere, and completely took her by surprise.  
  
What do you mean? She asked herself.  
  
Why are you killing Krillin?  
  
Because he destroyed my home. He deserves to be punished.  
  
But he was only preventing Cell from maturing, was the answer. And I'm sure that you could live at his house if you asked him. He obviously likes you, he wouldn't say no.  
  
No, thought 18. I don't suppose he would.  
  
Besides, he saved your life once. Maybe you should spare his now.  
  
Maybe. For some reason 18 imagined Krillin to be dead, a hole straight through his chest, caused by her blast. An uneasy sensation began to be felt in her stomach, and she stopped imagining it. She didn't like what she had seen.  
  
Why? Was she developing feelings for him too?  
  
I suppose you're going to have to decide soon, her inner self spoke. Because he's going to be dead in about a tenth of a second.  
  
This realisation struck her like an oncoming train. She had to save him, she realised. She didn't know why. She just had to. 


	5. Saviour

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter Five - Saviour  
  
Time is relative. What may seem like five minutes to one person will seem like three hours to another. This strange time dilation occurs mainly when a person is under a lot of stress, or under none at all, hence the expression "time flies when you're having fun".  
  
Right now 18 was under a lot of stress. She had changed her mind from homicidal to life-preserving in a little under a hundredth of a second, and now the chi blast she had directed at Krillin's semiconscious body was slowly making its way towards his death. 18 raised her hands to divert it, but it was like moving through extra thick tar. The chi blast was changing direction slightly, but it had to move more. It would still harm Krillin if it carried straight on now.  
  
18 put more energy into her control of the blast. It would be more responsive to her now. She gestured skywards, and the red ball of energy changed its trajectory a bit more.  
  
Come on, come on, move, she thought.  
  
The chi blast came round in a big arc and flew horizontal over the water until it hit a nearby island, which promptly exploded.  
  
But not before deeply grazing Krillin's chest. 18 looked in horror at the bloody mess that was the nightmare of her thoughts. It was pumping blood quite rapidly. It was spreading out over the sand, already now a large red circle of disgust. Krillin, now unconscious, was dying.  
  
"No. Not like this. Not now. Not him." Her shaky voice was almost silent.  
  
18 picked him up and took him inside quickly but gently. She lay him down on the couch and hurried to the bathroom for some wet towels. She returned and gently laid them on the wound. Then she went to see if there was anything else that could help.  
  
Upon opening the bathroom cabinet, she noticed a small brown bag. She opened it. There were beans inside. They must be those senzu beans. There were only two. She brought these down quickly and knelt down besides Krillin. She placed one bean inside his mouth, closed it and rubbed his throat to make him swallow it.  
  
Come on, swallow it. Don't die on me now.  
  
He swallowed.  
  
Then he did nothing.  
  
Then he stirred, groaned and opened his eyes. His first sight was of 18. He would have been worried, had it not been for that look of pure concern on her face. He smiled slightly and closed his eyes again. He knew he was safe. He couldn't possibly explain how he knew, he just did.  
  
"No. Don't sleep. Stay with me," 18 said. "Please stay with me. If you die, I don't know what I'll do."  
  
She shook him gently, causing him to wake up. She lifted the towels slowly off him. Blood covered the towels. The gash however was no longer bleeding. It was just a deep cut now, needing stitches.  
  
"Are you all right Krillin?"  
  
"18," Krillin said slowly, "why?"  
  
"I." 18 paused. "I don't know. When I imagined you hurt I didn't like it. It wasn't just the sight of someone injured. It was you being hurt that terrified me."  
  
"Oh," Krillin smiled. He tried to get up but the effort was just too much for him. He fell back.  
  
"Stay there," 18 said. "You need rest. Get some sleep. I'll get you a blanket."  
  
She got up and fetched a blanket. She laid it over him, pulled over a footstool and sat on it.  
  
"Goodnight Krillin," she said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Krillin smiled and relaxed. He soon drifted off to sleep. 18 stayed there. She never moved, just stayed leaning forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. Watching him. 


	6. Admittance

DISCLAIMER - I do not own DragonBall Z, and those characters and events therein. They are all the property of some big company, probably AIC or Pioneer. I heard that somewhere. As such, I expect to receive no money or other fringe benefits. This work is done completely for entertainment.  
  
Thanks to myself for having such a brilliant mind, and for being able to produce this fic, and also to Simon Willshire, proofreader and friend.  
  
If you want to contact me, my address is chosen_one123@hotmail.com. I also have MSN Messenger, so add me!  
  
Chapter Six - Admittance  
  
Morning came, and 18 was still there. Her needs were second place to Krillin. She watched him, listened to his light breathing. But not touching. Although from an outsider it may have looked like she was doing nothing, she was actually thinking. Thinking about Krillin. About how he had suddenly become the most important part of her life. She was trying to decide how much she felt about him.  
  
Krillin stirred and woke up. He looked sideways and saw 18.  
  
"Hi 18," he said.  
  
"How did you sleep?" 18 asked.  
  
"Great, thanks," he replied. "When is it?"  
  
"Eight thirty tomorrow. You've been asleep for twelve hours."  
  
"Boy, I _was_ tired. But, 18.?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why did you save me? I know you told me last night, but that can't have been the whole reason."  
  
"I've been thinking about that. I suppose it was when you said I could have a new life. My old life is meaningless now. I have nothing to do, nowhere to go. You were the closest thing I had to a new life. Only you could see beyond my android being and see the me inside. You are the only one who has ever been kind to me. That's why I can only trust you. Only love."  
  
She tailed off and looked away.  
  
"18," Krillin whispered.  
  
"How are your wounds?" 18 said, quickly turning back round, a hint of strain in her voice.  
  
"What? Oh." Krillin removed the blanket and looked at his chest. There was hardly a mark there, but if the light shined from a certain angle you could see a thick white line going across his body. "It looks like it's healed."  
  
"Yes. That's good," 18 said. "Would you like something to eat?"  
  
"Oh, erm, yes please. I think there's some tomato soup in the cupboard."  
  
"Right. You just stay there and I'll make it for you."  
  
18 got up and went into the kitchen to make the soup.  
  
Boy, Krillin thought. I didn't see that coming. Even though she took care of me, that was the last thing I was expecting her to say. But now I know that the feeling is mutual, maybe we can be together.  
  
I cannot believe I said that, 18 thought. Even though it is how I feel. But I'm sure he doesn't love me. I did hear Yamcha say that he had a crush on me, but it wouldn't be anything more than that. Still, I like being around him. He makes me feel special, like. Huh?  
  
"Boy, is that annoying!" There was no mistaking Master Roshi's voice anywhere. Krillin nearly jumped out of his body.  
  
"I mean, you go all the way to the airport, book a flight to Sweden, and what do you find? After fifteen hours of waiting, all flights have been cancelled until next week! Oh, hey Krillin. Why are you lying down like that?"  
  
"M. Master Roshi?" Krillin stammered.  
  
"What, are you ill? You want me to go get you something?"  
  
"No, no, it's just that. It's just you came at a really bad time."  
  
"Oh? Why's that?"  
  
"Oh, I thought it was you. I could sense you come in." 18 was standing in the kitchen doorway, holding the filled tomato soup bowl in her hands.  
  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! It's Android 18!" Master Roshi yelled, backing up rapidly. "Krillin, get rid of her!"  
  
"But why would he want to do that? I saved his life," 18 replied smoothly, walking up to Krillin and giving him his soup.  
  
"You. Saved his. Life?" Master Roshi was astounded.  
  
"Yeah," Krillin said, sipping his soup. "She came here trying to kill me, but then she decided not to."  
  
"W. Why?"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you," 18 said sharply.  
  
Master Roshi was calming down now. Android 18 was obviously not going to hurt anyone. "If you say so, Miss Android." He thought it best he didn't upset her, just in case. He backed his way up the stairs and to his room.  
  
Nothing was said for a few minutes. Then Krillin spoke.  
  
"18?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you mean what you said before? About. Loving me?"  
  
"Why do you want to know?"  
  
This was Krillin's moment. Do or die. And since he clearly hadn't died. "Because I do love you. I just wanted to know if you felt the same way."  
  
He did love her. She was very happy to hear him say that.  
  
"I do as well. Love you, that is." Her voice was wavering.  
  
That confirmed it. She did love him.  
  
"Do you want to stay here? Live here, I mean. I could always sleep on the couch so that you could have my room."  
  
"That's all right. I don't mind sharing a room."  
  
Krillin blushed. He was going to share his room with the object of his affections. Well, he certainly wasn't going to let her share a room with Master Roshi. There was something untrustworthy about him under those kinds of circumstances.  
  
18 noticed him blush. "Just don't get any ideas, okay? I don't want you trying to catch a peek whenever I have a shower."  
  
"I think you'd probably have to worry about Master Roshi doing that. Once he's got over the shock he'll be trying to take hentai pictures of you all the time."  
  
"If he tries to do anything like that I'll take his camera and push it so far up his."  
  
Upstairs a door slammed. Master Roshi didn't want to hear any more of it. 


End file.
